Still chuckling at the mishap, the other Cubs gathered around.
“Brad did that on purpose!” Ross said, angrily pulling off a lily pad which had plastered against his face. “Look at me!”
“You’re a little dampish,” Brad grinned. “I’m sorry you slipped. I didn’t touch your stick, you know.”
“This scene is stupid!” Ross fumed. “I’ve had enough of Robin Hood for one day! I’m going home.”
“I’ll take you,” Mr. Holloway offered sympathetically. “You should get into dry clothes right away.”
As the two walked toward the parked car, Ross made a sorry sight indeed. His shoes and trousers were caked with mud and a lily pad still clung to the back of his shirt.
“That was a ripping scene,” Brad laughed, once Ross was beyond hearing. “Falling into the brink may cure that know-it-all of wanting to hog the best scenes. I thought I’d die laughing when he fell in!”
“You weren’t the only one,” said Dan in an odd tone of voice. “Did you hear laughter from the woods?”
“From the woods?” Brad echoed, rather mystified. “The other Cubs, you mean?”
“No,” Dan replied soberly. “The laughter came from far off. It was a strange, almost ghostly laugh. I think it came from the general direction of the castle.”